From Library Journal
Swami Bhaskarananda, a monk of the Ramakrishna order, here offers a brief catechism aimed at Westerners unacquainted with Hindu religious traditions. Perforce covering those traditions in broad terms without going into doctrinal complexities, his book has a straightforward style that should appeal to casual readers and students at a basic level but will not interest advanced students and scholars. Bhaskarananda, who has founded and led several Vedanta societies, has also been involved in interfaith relations. His tone is frequently apologetic, and he corrects American stereotypes about India and Hindus. In general, he points out, Hinduism emphasizes family and personal devotion over communal celebration and values variety in viewpoint and observance. While this book is not broad enough to be a reference work and is somewhat biased toward the Vedanta philosophical school of thought, it could fill a gap in collections on Hindu philosophy and practice, especially in those collections dominated by the works of individual gurus. Recommended for public libraries. James F. DeRoche, Alexandria, Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.


"Vedanta"
..well-written... compact, yet covering every aspect of Hinduism....combining an easy style with deep philosophical insights


"India West"
...valuable...introduction into the richly diverse traditions of one of the world's oldest religions, and... a succinct reference tool.


Walter H. Maurer, Ph.D.,Professor of Sanskrit, University of Hawai'i, at Manoa
...remarkable for its directness and lucidity, fresh and devoid of cliches to an extent that is truly rare nowadays.


Hinduism Today
...fills a great need of Hinduism worldwide...perfect for Hindus who need to know more about their own religion


The Vedanta Kesari
...mine of interpretative material on the essentials of Hinduism presented in concise and ready form consonant with modern aptitudes.


Book Description
This book gives clearly written explanations of the basic ideas and practices of Hinduism and its culture. It answers so many questions—Do the Hindus worship many gods? Are the Hindus idol worshippers? What is the purpose of life? What are Hinduism's spiritual practices?—and so on, covering the most mundane to the most profound ideas and questions of Hinduism.


From the Publisher
This book, now in its second printing, has been hailed by many Hindus and Western students of Hinduism as the book that best explains the profound ideas of Hinduism in a clear, precise and easily understandable way. They especially note the author's use of excellent analogies and examples. Many classes on Hinduism use this book as their main text. Often people buy more than one copy at a time so as to be able to keep one copy and to be able to give another as a gift to friends or family. Since it was first published its popularity has been steadily growing.


From the Author
I wanted to help people understand Hinduism without having to go through a lot of technical details. I have tried to make it easy to understand, without indulging in oversimplification. The topics covered address the questions I've most often encountered over the last, nearly three decades of my stay in America.


About the Author
Swami Bhaskarananda, a monk of the Ramakrishna Order of India since 1958, studied for many years under the scholarly monks of the Order before he was sent to the United States to head the Vedanta Society of Western Washington in 1974. He is also the spiritual head of the Vedanta Societies in Hawaii and Vancouver, Canada. On invitation, the Swami has traveled extensively throughout the world giving talks on Hinduism and other spiritual topics. He is a founding member and past President of the Interfaith Council of Washington State, as well as an Interfaith Partner in the Church Council of Greater Seattle. The Swami is the author of the book "Meditation, Mind, and Patanjali's Yoga" and is the founder and editor-in-chief of the quarterly journal "Global Vedanta."

FROM THE CRITICS

Library Journal